Exciting Development Happening….In Staten Island!

Staten Island is the latest borough to see a surge in waterfront redevelopment.  Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens have all seen their fair share of projects ranging from Extell’s various projects on the Upper West Side to TF Cornerstone in Long Island City.  Waterfront property throughout New York City has seen a brilliant resurgence over the last two decades.  Like all redevelopment, things have not been equally distributed. Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan have taken the largest share of the pot, but  It appears that the tables are turning, or at least they are trying to.

Staten Island has long been known as the least desirable borough, even when compared to New Jersey.  For those of you who do not remember, Mayor Bloomberg advocated for these redevelopment plans a few years back.  Now they are starting to really take shape.  A 630-foot ferris wheel, 190-room hotel, and massive outlet mall are all expected to open in 2016.  Take a look at Empire Outlet’s “Future of Staten Island Video” for a better look at what is currently in the works just a ferry ride away from Manhattan.

Brooklyn Set To Welcome Its First Sephora

Downtown Brooklyn is seeing a steady stream of name brand retailers infiltrate the very granola neighborhood.  Sephora set their eyes on the area a few months ago when the cosmetic chain announce they will be setting up their first Brooklyn shop some time this year.  That day has finally come.  The store announced it will be handing out a handful of goodies to the first 100+ customers who make it to the opening this Friday.  

 

This store, along with Whole Foods, JCrew, Urban Outfitters, (and even Mamouns) now see Manhattan’s ugly stepsister as a lucrative investment/growth opportunity.  It appears that soon, there will absolutely no reason for Brooklynites to commute to Manhattan for the modern luxuries they have become so accustomed to.

 

Check out the complete details via Racked.com

Two Ace Hotel Projects Coming To The Lower East Side

The Ace Hotel is quietly moving forward with not one, but TWO projects on the Lower East Side.  The first project is located at the end of Orchard Street (and Canal), while the second building under renovation is located at 225 Bowery.   The Bowery Boogie has the complete story, however I was able to speak with a real estate broker who is organizing the Bowery deal.

The broker, who chose to remain anonymous, first reported that he was working a deal at 225 back in June.  He told me a “high end and well-known hotel” was scouting the Bowery location for a new project.  It was also mentioned that they are in the city already and have an interest in at least three locations throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn.  Apparently things are really moving forward with the deal.  No completion date has been announced, however I have been reassured it will NOT be for the next year at least.  More to come as the project really starts to take shape.

A little more on the Ace Hotel – The New York Ace Hotel is located in the trendy NoMad neighborhood (North of Madison Square Park).  This chain is a personal favorite of mine.  Similar to the Standard Hotel chain, The Ace features beautiful public spaces (the lobby also has free Wi-fi and is a great place to see and be seen) as well as an Opening Ceremony, Stumptown Coffee, and the Breslin restaurant.  

The boutique chain also has locations in London, Palm Springs, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, and a growing list of other locations.

 

Gut-Renovation in SoHo

Caught a rare glimpse inside 250 Broadway today as workers renovate the vacant retail space. While a tenant has yet to be announced, work is being done to prepare the site once again. New York City construction codes require construction crews to close off their work spaces and shield the public from any unwarranted noise and pollution.

A.P.C. Bond Street

Signage is officially up at the soon to be A.P.C. store. Located on Bond (right off of Bowery), the high end French retailer will be joining the likes of Oak, Intermix, and a plethora of new condo developments. If you haven’t been down on The Bowery in the past year- stop, drop, and go. The area has done nothing but explode with high end real estate, not to mention some amazing people watching too.